{"section":"tracks","requestedLocale":"en","requestedSlug":"credit-card-payment-flow","locale":"en","slug":"credit-card-payment-flow","path":"docs/en/tracks/vtex-modules-getting-started/payments/credit-card-payment-flow.md","branch":"main","content":"The basic flow of a credit card payment is performed by the following players:\n\n- **Payment gateway**: A [payment gateway](/en/docs/tutorials/financial-agents-in-the-payment-flow#gateway) is a system that transmits the data from purchases made in your store. The gateway sends data and receives responses to let you know whether a particular purchase should be confirmed.\n- **Acquirer**: An [acquirer](/en/docs/tutorials/financial-agents-in-the-payment-flow#acquirer), also called a creditor, is a company that specializes in processing payments, meaning that it settles a store's credit and debit card transactions.\n- **Card network**: [Card networks](/en/docs/tutorials/financial-agents-in-the-payment-flow#card-network) are companies that define the business rules for credit card purchases. They define the standards by which acquirers must process the transactions made through this payment method (each network has its own rules).\n- **Issuing bank**: The [issuing bank](/en/docs/tutorials/financial-agents-in-the-payment-flow#issuing-bank) is the financial institution that manages the payment method, whether it's a \"boleto\" (Brazilian payment method), a debit card, or a credit card. Upon receiving purchase data from your store, the issuing bank authorizes or declines the sale based on the credit limit or the funds available in the user's account.\n
\nTo learn more about the financial agents involved in the payment flow, see [this article](/en/docs/tutorials/financial-agents-in-the-payment-flow#acquirer).
\n
\n\n## Payment Flow\n\nThe complete credit card payment flow at VTEX is shown in the following scheme:\n\n\n\n1. On the Checkout screen of your store, the customer chooses the _credit card_ **Payment Method** to complete the purchase.\n\n2. This payment information is passed to the **Payment Gateway**, which is the player responsible for ensuring that this payment is successful.\n\n3. The _payment gateway_ passes on the required information to the **Acquirer**, which is responsible for settling the financial transactions with retailers.\n\n4. The acquirer sends the payment details to the **Brand**, which connects the acquiring system with the issuing banks.\n\n5. Finally, the brand sends the payment information to the **Issuing Bank**, which does the credit analysis, checks the credit limit and then authorizes or denies the payment.\n\nUpon the issuing bank's response, the reverse flow is performed and the **Payment Gateway** receives information whether the payment has been approved or denied.\n\n> ℹ️ It is possible to include Anti-fraud in this flow. In this case, the anti-fraud receives from the gateway the information that the payment has been pre-authorized by the issuing bank. With the information received from the gateway, the anti-fraud sends a payment approval or denial response. If the anti-fraud denies, the payment is canceled. If the payment is approved, the order can proceed its normal flow."}